Filter is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Cleveland, Ohio, by singer Richard Patrick and guitarist and programmer Brian Liesegang. Patrick founded the band after leaving Nine Inch Nails, with whom he had performed as a touring guitarist. Filter's debut album, "Short Bus" (1995), was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and included the single "Hey Man Nice Shot". Since its formation, the band's line-up has changed frequently, with Patrick remaining the only constant member.
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Filter is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Cleveland, Ohio, by singer Richard Patrick and guitarist and programmer Brian Liesegang. Patrick founded the band after leaving Nine Inch Nails, with whom he had performed as a touring guitarist. Filter's debut album, "Short Bus" (1995), was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and included the single "Hey Man Nice Shot". Since its formation, the band's line-up has changed frequently, with Patrick remaining the only constant member.
After Liesegang left the band in 1997, Patrick continued Filter with members of the touring line-up. The band's second album, "Title of Record" (1999), featured the successful single "Take a Picture". It was followed by "The Amalgamut" (2002). Shortly after its release, Patrick entered rehabilitation for alcohol and drug addiction, leading to a hiatus. During this period, he formed the band Army of Anyone, which released one self-titled album. Following the project's conclusion, Patrick revived Filter, releasing "Anthems for the Damned" (2008), "The Trouble with Angels" (2010), "The Sun Comes Out Tonight" (2013), "Crazy Eyes" (2016), and "The Algorithm" (2023). A planned reunion album with Liesegang, titled "ReBus", was cancelled following the bankruptcy of PledgeMusic. In 2025, Patrick announced that the band's ninth studio album, "The Antidote", was in development.
Patrick played guitar with Nine Inch Nails during the touring cycle for "Pretty Hate Machine" and appeared in the promotional videos for "Broken". He left the band while Trent Reznor was recording "The Downward Spiral" and began working with Liesegang on a new project. After signing with Reprise Records in 1994, Filter released "Short Bus" in 1995. The album included "Hey Man Nice Shot", which generated media attention because of speculation about its subject matter. The band stated that the song was not inspired by Kurt Cobain's death. Before the album's release, the track appeared on the soundtrack to the film "Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight". To support the album, Patrick and Liesegang recruited Geno Lenardo, Frank Cavanagh and Matt Walker for touring.
During the mid-1990s, Filter contributed music to several film and television soundtracks. "Thanks Bro" appeared on "Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files", while "Jurassitol" was recorded for the soundtrack to "The Crow: City of Angels". The band also released the home video "Phenomenology" in 1996. In 1997, Liesegang departed because of creative differences after recording "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do", a collaboration with The Crystal Method for the soundtrack to "Spawn". Patrick continued under the Filter name and recorded a cover of Harry Nilsson's "One" for the soundtrack to "The X-Files".
"Title of Record" was released in 1999 with Lenardo and Cavanagh returning alongside drummer Steve Gillis. The album marked a stylistic shift away from the band's earlier industrial rock sound and produced the single "Take a Picture", which became Filter's most commercially successful song. Other singles included "Welcome to the Fold" and "The Best Things". Patrick later stated that "Take a Picture" was inspired by an incident on an aeroplane involving his own alcohol consumption. D'arcy Wretzky contributed vocals to "Cancer" and "Take a Picture".
"The Amalgamut" followed in 2002 and included the singles "Where Do We Go from Here?" and "American Cliché". "The Only Way (Is the Wrong Way)" was used in advertising for the Hummer H2 and appeared in the film "Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life". Alan Bailey joined as a touring guitarist, but the tour ended early after Patrick entered rehabilitation. Lenardo, Gillis and Cavanagh subsequently left the band.
During the hiatus, Patrick participated in the supergroup The Damning Well, which contributed "Awakening" to the soundtrack of the film "Underworld". He later stated that no full album by the group had been completed. Patrick also formed Army of Anyone with Ray Luzier and Robert and Dean DeLeo. The band's self-titled album was released in 2006 before the project ended the following year.
Patrick resumed work on Filter with "Anthems for the Damned", released in 2008. Frank Cavanagh briefly reunited with the band for a performance in Kuwait organised through Operation MySpace while serving in the United States Army Reserve. Later that year, Filter released the remix album "Remixes for the Damned". In 2009, the compilation "The Very Best Things (1995-2008)" collected material from the band's first four studio albums and soundtrack contributions.
Work on "The Trouble with Angels" began in 2009 with producer Bob Marlette. Patrick described the album as heavier and more electronic than its predecessor. During this period, Filter recorded a cover of The Turtles' "Happy Together" for the soundtrack to the film "The Stepfather" and contributed "Fades Like a Photograph" to the soundtrack of "2012". Brian Liesegang co-produced the latter track. The album was released in 2010 after a series of online studio updates and was preceded by the single "The Inevitable Relapse". Filter later recorded a cover of ZZ Top's "Gimme All Your Lovin'" for the tribute album "ZZ Top: A Tribute from Friends".
Patrick and guitarist Jonny Radtke recorded "The Sun Comes Out Tonight" with Bob Marlette. Released in 2013, it was preceded by the single "What Do You Say". The track "We Hate It When You Get What You Want" was made available as a temporary free download through the band's website. Bassist Phil Buckman left the band after the album's touring cycle, and Tim Kelleher later joined the line-up.
In 2014, Patrick began work on the band's seventh studio album, "Crazy Eyes". Recording involved a new touring line-up, while former members Geno Lenardo and Brian Liesegang were invited to contribute during the writing process. The album was funded in part through a PledgeMusic campaign and released in 2016.
Liesegang rejoined Patrick in 2018 to begin work on "ReBus", a project intended to revisit the musical approach of "Short Bus". After PledgeMusic entered bankruptcy, the album was abandoned. Patrick instead focused on a twentieth anniversary edition of "Title of Record" and a new album, which underwent several title changes before being released as "The Algorithm" in 2023. Singles issued during its development included "Thoughts and Prayers", "Murica", "For the Beaten", "Face Down" and "Obliteration". In 2023, Filter supported Ministry, Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie on the "Freaks on Parade" tour across the United States and Canada.
In 2025, Patrick announced that the band's ninth studio album would be titled "The Antidote". The single "All The Good" was released to promote "The Algorithm: Ultra Edition", an expanded edition of "The Algorithm". The band also appeared on Finger Eleven's single "Blue Sky Mystery", with Patrick providing guest vocals. The song reached number six on the Canadian rock chart. A tour with Alter Bridge and Tim Montana was announced for 2026.
In 2026, Patrick stated that he expected "The Antidote" to be released in early 2027. He described the album as combining a heavier sound with melodic elements characteristic of previous Filter releases.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_(band)
Studio albums
Short Bus (1995)
Title of Record (1999)
The Amalgamut (2002)
Anthems for the Damned (2008)
The Trouble with Angels (2010)
The Sun Comes Out Tonight (2013)
Crazy Eyes (2016)
The Algorithm (2023)
The Antidote (2027)
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…shrink me down again